Carriage traveling gear for phonograph-machines.



No. 683,7I2. Patented Dot. I, 190i. 5

T. H. STEVENS.

BABRlAGE TRAVELING GEAR FOB PHONOGBAPH MACHINES.

(Application filed Mar. 23, 1901.)

(N o M o d e 1.)

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UNITED STATES ATENT QFFICE.

TIIOHAS HENRY STEVENS, OF EAST ST. KILDA, VICTORIA.

CARRIAGE TRAVELING GEAR FOR PHONOGRAPH-MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 683,712, dated October 1, 1901.

Application filed March 23, 1901. Serial No. 52,601. (No model.)

To atZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS HENRY STE- VENS, showman, a subject of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, residing at 301 Inkerman street, East St. Kilda, in the county of Bourke, State of Victoria, Commonwealth of Australia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Carriage Traveling Gear of Phonograph-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a traveling gear for the carriage of phonographs which shall cause the operator but little trouble and shall produce a better result.

In some of the machines in use I have found the rotating thread which operated the carriage was too fine and therefore too delicate. It harbored dust. Even if only in the finest particles this dust gathered on the screw and could only be removed by the closest of care and watchfulness. Unless this was done an imperfect contact was thereby made with the part-nut which 3' umped. This interfered with the quality of the reproduction from the rec- 0rd and materially affected the clearness and volume of the delivery; but with my invention by the aid of a dust-shield protecting a greater portion of the screw and the introduction of an intermediate shaft permitting the use of a coarser thread a better, a less ragged, and less interrupted tone is emitted, which is far more agreeable and natural, and therefore intelligible to the human ear.

My invention consists of a dust-shield extending over the feed-screw of a carriage traveling gear for phonographs from one side of said screw, an arm extending under said shield and over said screw from the other side thereof, a half-nut carried by the arm and engaging the screw, the said arm being connected with and moving the carriage of the machine.

Referring to the drawings which form a part of this specification, Figure 1 represents a plan of the traveling gear, which is broken through the middle for the convenience of illustration. Portions of the record-holding cylinder and the carriage-arm above it are seen. Fig. 2 is an end elevation looking at the outside end of the parts. Fig. 3 is a vertical section through X X, Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a perspective View of the dust-shield.

Similar letters of reference indicate similar or corresponding parts where they occur in the several views.

On reference to the drawings it will be seen that A is the record-holding cylinder, and B the record-shaft. This is rotated by the beltpulley 0. Upon the shaft B is a pinion D, which gears into a wheel E upon the combination intermediate shaft and screw-thread F. Upon the top of this combination intermediate shaft and screw-thread rests the part nut G. The part-nut G is secured to the nutarm H on the sleeve J, which sleeve travels longitudinally upon the rod K. On the end of the sleeve J is the carriage-arm L, which overhangs the record.

Through the bed of the frame M are made holes to accommodate the protuberances N on the bottom edge of the dust-shield O. This shield has clearance portions removed at each end to permit of the arm (when the carriage is at the extremity of its travel at either end) to be lifted. In section the dust-shield somewhat resembles the letter Linverted. Ahandle P enables it to be lifted for the occasional cleansing of the thread and the part-nut. The depending lip Q of the dust-shield, as seen in Fig. 3, is sufficiently high above the nut-arm H to permit the said arm by catching hold of the carriage being partially lifted off the record. When this is done, the sleeve and nut-arm and part-nut can be moved lon gitudin ally until the said nut-arm is at either extremity of-its travel, where it reaches the clearance portions and can be lifted right back through the said portions.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, is-

1. In a carriage traveling gear for phonograph-machines, the combination with a feeding-screw shaft of a dust-shield extending over the said screw from one side thereof, an arm extending under said shield and over the said screw from the other side thereof, a halfnut carried by the arm and engaging the screw, the said arm being connected with and moving the carriage of the machine, substantially as described.

2. The improvement in the carriage traveling gear of phonograph-machines consisting of a dust-shield of the section of an inverted shaft, an arm engaging the screw and projeeting laterally therefrom for moving the machine-carriage and a shield mounted on the esegn machine and extending upwardly between the record-shaft and thefeed-screw, the said shield being bent over the feed-screw for excluding dust therefrom, the arrangement of the shield being such that it will not interfere with the movement of the carriage-actuating arm, substantially as described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand to this specification in the presence of two witnesses.

THOMAS HENRY STEVENS.

Witnesses:

EDWIN PHILLIPs, CECIL WV. LE PLASTRIER. 

